Livestock producers should have a wildfire emergency evacuation plan ready to go

May 17, 2023

With the wildfire situation in Alberta and Saskatchewan, people are once again recognizing the harsh reality of just how dangerous they are.

For livestock producers there's not just the concern of getting your family and pets to safety, but also your livestock.

Grant McLellan, CEO of the Saskatchewan Cattlemen's Association says livestock producers should look at developing an evacuation kit that includes your insurance information and more:

"Having contact information for any prearranged off-farm evacuation sites. That may be depending on your area an auction mart, maybe a feedlot, it's important to have that contact information. Ensure that you've got things like water and feed readily available at prearranged sites. A detailed inventory of your livestock and a developing list of any emergency contacts you may want to have in place prior to a wildfire event."

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Video: 2026 T.K. Cheung Lecture in Animal Science - Dan Weary

T.K. Cheung Lecture in Animal Science: "Using science to assess and improve the welfare of dairy cattle"

Dan Weary is a Professor at the University of British Columbia. Dan did his BSc and MSc at McGill and Doctorate at Oxford before co-founding UBC’s Animal Welfare Program where he now co-directs this active research group. His research focuses on understanding the perspectives of animals and applying these insights to develop methods of assessing animal welfare and improving the lives of animals. His work has helped drive changes in practices (including the adoption of higher milk rations for calves and pain management for disbudding) and housing methods (including the adoption of social housing for pre-weaned calves). He also studies cow comfort and lameness, social interactions among cows, and interactions between cows, human handlers and technologies like automated millking systems that are increasingly used on farms. His presentation will outline key questions in cattle welfare, highlight recent UBC research addressing them, and showcase innovative methods for improving the lives of cattle and their caretakers.